Hello all and welcome back, didn't get as many reviews and such as the first chapter but that may be because of the day and time being different, but whatever.
Anyway, couple of things to go over: 1) JJ is not going to be with Naruto in this fic unless someone can give me REALLY good reason(s) why I should do it since her relationship in the series works.
2) I am now considering having Garcia with Naruto since I had forgotten about an incident that makes her available and Naruto can help her deal with the hurt that comes with it.
3) No, I am not having anyone leave the team permanently though as we get further some of them may take some backseat roles or taking vacations at times when they normally didn't.
Some other things I won't put here so I don't spoil anything for anyone who started watching the series after reading this. If you absolutely need to have answers then you can ask in a review or through PM, but if you're gonna post as guest then you will be ignored.
Well, that should be it, let's get the show on the road.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item.
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
"Radio or altered voice"
"Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message"
* see bottom for explanation
[Translation]
Chapter 3: LDSK vs Hunter
Season 1, Episode 6: L.D.S.K
Episode Quotes: "The irrationality of a thing is no argument against its existence, rather a condition of it" – Nietzsche
"Nothing is so common as the wish to be remarkable" – Shakespeare
Quantico: FBI Firing Range
Naruto was standing behind Reid as the poor kid was trying hard to hit the range target accurately with his Glock 19. The main issue Naruto was finding was every time the gun fired, Reid flinched and as he prepared to fire Reid would squint and cringe in anticipation of it firing. The kid obviously didn't care for the noise as the gun fired, which wasn't good since flinching could cause his aim to be off and he could hit a non-target. Though Naruto did laugh a bit when Reid shot a target in the groin since, while not recommended, it was effective.
"Alright stop." Naruto stated keeping him from firing another shot as Reid sighed and put the gun down.
"They're gonna take away my gun." Reid stated as Naruto cleared the gun and took the clip out.
"Nope, because I'm taking it away." Naruto stated making Reid hang his head before he was tapped on the shoulder and Naruto was holding a revolver, "This is a Smith & Wesson model 65. It has less recoil, easier to control, and you don't have to worry about slider bite. It's also double action which means you don't have to cock the hammer if you don't want to, but that means you have to pull the trigger harder than normal." Naruto stated handing it to him before removing his earmuffs.
"What-what are you doing?" Reid asked as Naruto removed his own.
"You're flinching and squinting because of the noise and expected recoil, in the field you won't always get to wear earmuffs or plugs and you'll be firing in tight corridors and enclosed spaces so you may as well get used to the real noise rather than muffled noise." Naruto stated as he took a second S&W 65 and showed Reid how to load it easily, "You have six shots, that's at least one less than anyone else on the team but it also means you have to make the shots count since you're going to take longer to reload than other people. The flip side is that you'll have more stopping power depending on bullet placement and you're much less likely to have your gun jam while in use. You'll fire one full clip and then reload, then you will be allowed to put the earmuffs back on. I'm doing this because your mind and ears will recall the loud noise without the earmuffs so when you shoot with the earmuffs, you won't flinch or react as badly when you test with this gun as you'll be required to wear the earmuffs. As such, you won't flinch or at least flinch as bad during the test." Naruto stated then explained making Reid nod, though he was still nervous.
"Ok now find the grip that works best in your hand, keeping in mind that the hammer needs room to go back so leave the space or it can throw off your grip. If it makes it easier, cock the hammer and then hold it so your mind can start registering where the hammer needs to go." Naruto stated stepping into his own lane while holding his own revolver up while Reid cocked the hammer and kept shifting his hand to get it comfortable, "Once you're comfortable, aim by lining the hammer up with the front sight." Naruto stated letting Reid get adjusted, "Once you think you're on target, squeeze slowly till you start feeling an increase in pressure then pull harder but be careful since if you jerk the trigger it can throw off your aim and your position." Naruto stated before Reid pulled the trigger till it fired.
BANG
"Ah!" Reid shouted after it fired since his ears were now throbbing.
"Yeah it hurts, but look." Naruto stated after a minute and Reid looked and saw he hit the target a couple inches from the dead center, "Your ears will adjust with time, but now you're gonna have to fight the flinch." Naruto stated before he fired all six of his shots blowing a hole in the center of the human target.
Naruto then went over to Reid, who was messing with his ears to help with the pain a bit, "Now this time fire without cocking the hammer." Naruto instructed with Reid nodding as the training continued.
BAU: Days Later
Most of the team was just relaxing in the building since they were waiting on a case that they could actually help with since there was no point going to a city if there was no way to help, though Naruto didn't mind since the director spoke with the governor and Naruto was allowed to just stay at the building until they knew for sure if they were getting a case or not.
Currently, Naruto was talking to Elle about Reid since the kid had barely passed his qualifying since he still had that flinching problem, though it wasn't as bad since he had now experienced louder noise and such. Elle did laugh when Naruto mentioned he shot one of the targets in the groin during practice and Naruto joked that maybe she had taught him that.
They broke from their conversation as Gideon came into the bullpen, "Reid passed his qualification, they made some mentions to improve but he still passed." Elle stated making Gideon nod.
"Good, and thanks Naruto." Gideon stated going to his office while Naruto gave him a thumbs up.
Reid then walked in with a smile since he had progress at least with gun qualification and had another six months before he had to worry about recertifying to carry a firearm. That was six months of practice and getting used to his new gun.
"Reid, you got no right to be cocky until you're passing without a slim margin." Naruto stated making him chuckle nervously while Morgan and Elle laughed, "Also genius, just remember that you don't need a gun to kill someone, and I don't mean the obvious answer." Naruto stated making Reid frown in confusion.
Their amusement was cut short by JJ coming in quickly carrying files, "Franklin Park, Des Plaines, Illinois: Yesterday afternoon, 3 victims shot at distance. It's the third shooting in two weeks." JJ stated handing each one a file while Naruto frowned and began examining it closer.
"A sniper?" Elle asked making most of the team cringe.
"We don't use that word." Morgan stated with a sigh as Gideon came down the steps from the office.
"Ok, why not?" Elle asked and it was Naruto who answered.
"Because the public is under the belief that no government agency has a good track record with snipers, which isn't really far off base but they take it to an extreme that hasn't occurred. The problem with snipers or Long Distance Shooters is that in America more civilians own guns than almost any other country in the world. Our laws on owning guns we essentially gave these guys weapons and opportunity to do this whenever they receive the inclination to do so." Naruto explained making most of the team nod.
"Besides that, a sniper is a professional marksman, most of the time these guys are just men that are good with guns." Hotch stated since there weren't many true snipers shooting people in the U.S. and even fewer times was a woman a shooter.
"So what do we call these guys then?" Elle asked not really caring one way or the other.
"L.D.S.K." Hotch and Morgan stated at the same time while still reading the files.
"Long Distance Serial Killer." Reid supplied making Naruto grunt.
"Except this guy isn't really killing. His first victim died but from what I'm seeing that was only due to the EMTs arriving too late so the killing was an accident or at least not intentional." Naruto stated making the team frown but nod seeing his point since why wouldn't the unsub have tried to finish off his targets if he wanted to ensure they died.
"And how many of these guys have we caught using a profile?" Elle asked with Naruto smirking slightly.
"Well, counting the three I've helped turn in when I was caught and myself if you want to get technical, 4." Naruto stated casually making Elle widen her eyes slightly since that definitely wasn't good.
With that said and done, JJ quickly went to Garcia to get the monitor in the conference room set up for the detailed briefing free of distractions, "Ok, so in two weeks we have 6 victims all shot in the abdomen with the only fatality being the first victim Henry Sachs, married, father of 3, shot in a shopping center parking lot." Hotch stated showing different images.
"9 days later Doug Miller and Kevin Parks shot while playing basketball at a community center." Morgan stated reading the information.
"And now Franklin Park, four days later, with Jerry Middleton, Kate Murray, and Tim Reilly. Police have nothing to go on as there is nothing linking the victims." Gideon finished and Naruto hummed lightly.
"Well he's certainly escalating and building up his confidence. First time was one target, second time was two targets, third time was three targets, I think it's a clear pattern on what will happen when shooting four comes along." Naruto stated making them nod since that was a high probability, "And with this guy using frangible rounds means ballistics will be nothing since they essentially shatter like glass on impact, which was designed as a countermeasure and to do the most damage upon impact."
"Good news is all the park victims will live. The bad news is that no one saw anything. However, one patient has a still intact round in his spine, but there's disagreement among the surgical staff on if the bullet can be removed without paralyzing the patient." JJ supplied making a few sigh.
"Well without the usual helpful items such as witnesses and physical evidence, the profile is all we have to work with. However, that's all I had to work with when I was hunting some of these guys across the world so it's gonna be a challenge but not impossible." Naruto supplied since he had at times gone on nothing but what he knew of the killer to track them down and then take them down.
"Which means you're going to be the most valuable asset we have on this Naruto, you've chased more of these guys then we have." Gideon stated making Naruto nod before they left for the plane.
Later on said plane
"L.D.S.K.s are so rare that we haven't been able to build a standardized profile. What we do know is that they are always male, they frequently have law enforcement or military experience, and they always make contact with the police or media." Hotch stated more to Naruto than the plane as a whole as Naruto flipped through the pictures and documents.
"To take credit or relive the experience?" JJ asked wondering why they'd potentially endanger themselves.
"Both. All serial killers attempt to relive the ecstasy they get from their killings." Gideon stated as a couple of them looked at Naruto who looked up at them.
"Don't look at me, I was a task oriented killer. Once I knew they were dead or incapacitated, my job was done unless a victim was in danger." Naruto stated since he was not one of the killers that needed a sexual release through killing.
"Anyway, some of them use souvenirs taken from the victims, and others return to the dump site to interact with the body. Both modes require contact with the victim, contact which, by definition, long distance serial killers don't have." Gideon continued making Naruto shake his head.
"Yeah, but this guy isn't a serial killer. He's only a serial shooter. If anything, he's doing just about everything he can to ensure his targets have a fighting chance at surviving while still severely wounding them. I mean if this was about bodies then he could have easily done the playing possum method for shooting." Naruto stated making them frown.
"Playing possum?" Elle asked and Naruto nodded before taking some paperclips and placing one by itself.
"You're shooting, you want to take out as many people as possible before the full panic sets in and everyone runs. With that in mind you pick one target," He stated pointing at the one paperclip, "And shoot them, but only to wound them not kill instantly." He finished before bending the paperclip slightly, "You don't fire again as you want the others in the area to see it and do what most do, go and see what is wrong and if they can help." He stated before moving some paperclips over to the damage one before it looked like the damaged one was surrounded, "You then have a smaller shooting gallery of targets as you have the people gathering to watch, call 911, give any help they can, or flag down any responders. You then proceed to just fire at the kill zone you've created taking as many targets down as possible before getting out of dodge." Naruto stated as he bent each paperclip around the original with them being a different distances from the original, "It's essentially calling upon Human Nature to add targets since how many people ignore a person crying in pain and begging for help in such an open area and the whole "slow down at a car accident and see what is going on" thing that's become a near staple nowadays." He stated making them nod since he had a point on that since why shoot at three different spots of the same area when people would group around the first target.
"So if it was about causing damage then the unsub is firing too quickly at other targets. So he's got some other reason behind it. The Beltway Shooters were thrill seekers finding fun in what they did and taunting the police just made it more fun and it led to their capture where they then basked in the glory they believed they had achieved." Hotch stated making Naruto nod.
"And since this guy isn't contacting the media, despite 2 weeks going by, and he seems to be refusing to kill his victims, I think he may not be able to be called an L.D.S.K. Which means we may be dealing with a completely different animal entirely." Naruto stated making them frown since that could prove challenging then.
"So what do we have to work with till we can confirm is he's a distance killer or not?" Elle asked since they needed something.
"Well the best clues at times are what the target doesn't do." Naruto stated, "In this case it's the underkilling of his targets, he's shooting them in an area that can be fatal but it could also let them stay alive long enough to recover completely. And I don't think it's for lack of confidence, each shot is in a prime area to make sure the death is slow and not rapid. He completely misses the heart, liver, kidneys, and stomach, all of which are areas that if shot would make repair and saving them very difficult. Instead he's shooting for just the body mass and at most is only grazing the organs instead of full blown destroying them." Naruto stated knowing that most trained snipers did the same thing when they wanted to take down a target but lower the chance of killing them so they could be taken in and questioned.
"What have you learned on these types of unsubs?" Gideon asked wanting Naruto's input.
"Well, you're partly right in that most are male but I've actually come across three women that were distance killers. They all have some kind of training, but quite a few didn't get it through the military or police as their fathers, which at times belonged to the mentioned professions, were long distance shooters and trained them and usually it is one or both of the parents that pushed them to start shooting: some to prove they were better than them, some for revenge, some to vent their anger, and all the usual reasons. They are disciplined and skilled in their work, but will lose all control when challenged or feeling cornered as their pride won't let them back down from a fight since "live to fight another day" is not in their minds ever. Most of them that can't get a hold of a rifle to shoot over a thousand yards will take an automatic weapon that can be flipped to single fire so they can go down in a hail of bullets when the time comes. Others will still take such a weapon as it is a perceived challenge of being able to shoot accurately at a distance with a gun not specifically designed for such a thing. A couple though I found were Hitmen, hired guns, personal cause fighters, or were something else the entire time and only presented themselves as distance killers." Naruto stated making them nod since it was useful information to have and some of it applied to this guy.
"What were some of the other reasons they were shooting?" Reid asked since it would be good information to have both for this case and to help create a basic profile.
"Two wanted to scare people in an area so they could buy the properties dirt cheap. Another was to prove a psychological experiment, that even the threat of being shot wouldn't stop people from going about their daily lives and they'd come to accept it like the possibility of a car crash. Still another was actually a case of Hero Homicide, Angel of Mercy, or Angel of Death where they'd shoot people and then try to be the big hero and solve the crime or save the victims' lives or they shot the people they felt just needed to let go and die. All of them never wanted media contact or to contact the police since they were highly paranoid and couldn't chance any such interaction plus the last group got their own recognition through their hero work. However, no one could take credit for their work and they'd lash out violently if that happened usually executing the person even at the cost of them being captured." Naruto explained making them frown since those were possible.
"Naruto, keep working the alternate possibilities while we focus on the L.D.S.K. angle. When we land, me, JJ, and Elle will go to the hospital to see what the determination is on the patient with the bullet in their spine. The rest of you go to the park and see what you can find." Gideon stated making the nod.
"I should warn you, I've run across one of their surgeons there once. A Barry Landman if memory serves, the asshole has the worst Narcissistic Personality Disorder I have ever seen. So just prepare yourselves for it since he'll be condescending through the whole interchange and claim to be God given Human form." Naruto stated making Gideon nod since that would be good to know beforehand both for handling him and to get a read on him.
As they were about to continue discussing things, Naruto noticed something, "Uh oh." Naruto stated making them look at him, "All of these shootings took place at the first shift change. Meaning he either knows cops' shifts, is a cop, or he's on his own shift schedule that matches up with that." Naruto stated with all but JJ frowning since that was bad.
"What does that mean? Shouldn't there be twice as many cops out?" JJ asked and Naruto shook his head.
"No, first half hour your signing in, taking orders, on roll call, getting assignments, and the last half hour you're filing reports, signing out, booking suspects and perps, and turning in anything important so for that 30 minutes it is almost do anything you want on the streets. And it means that our unsub may have intricate knowledge of the police force, so he could be or possible was a cop." Naruto stated making JJ widen her eyes seeing the problem.
"It means we have to be careful about who we interact with until we know for sure who is not the unsub." Gideon stated making everyone nod.
"We can't even rule out the guy who requested us since it could be part of his narcissism to basically challenge the FBI and win." Naruto stated making them all nod knowing this got more complicated.
Franklin Park
Naruto sat in the car as they drove around to the parking area where they'd meet the detective in charge of the case. It was a unique feeling since it was the first time he traveled with Morgan and Reid without Gideon. He usually was paired with Elle, Gideon or Hotch since they were more focused on the case than on him since Morgan still had mistrust concerning him and Reid would want to talk to him for hours over the criminals he had tracked and any unique perspectives Naruto could offer him.
Naruto got out of the car as they pulled up next to a woman, "Agent Hotchner?" The woman asked with Hotch shaking her hand.
"Detective Calvin. This is Agent Morgan, Agent Reid, and our consultant, Naruto Namikaze." Hotch stated introducing the other three to the now named Detective Calvin.
Once Naruto shook her hand he walked down the line of parking spots taking in the field of fire from the position, "Cones mark where the victims were?" He asked and Calvin gave the affirmative as she walked with the other three, "Well, further down I go, the more clear targets I have in my view." Naruto stated as the cones became more available for line of sight than the previous position.
However, once he reached the end of the spots he frowned before looking in the area, "Hotch, I found his position." Naruto stated making them come over and see he was standing at a Handicap area, "This spot couldn't be any further from the building, but it also provides clear line of site to the cones and to the flag which would let him have a prime view of the killing field and know where the wind is coming from and how fast as he shot from his car. He probably scouted the area and picked this spot before ensuring no one would take it when he came back to shoot. Also since an open trunk would look suspicious to anyone passing by, I'd guess he has a vehicle with enough space for him to lie down and then he just removes and replaces the license plate before and after shooting. If someone walks by then they see some guy lying in his car relaxing and maybe removed the plate to let air flow better. It also lets him get away quickly since he just gets in the front seat and leave with most of everyone thinking he's trying to escape the shooter." Naruto stated surprising the detective while the others nodded having gotten used to how Naruto did things, "There's also the fact that at this distance, I could get a headshot with a pistol with ease and this guy's using a rifle so he definitely can't lack the training to hit the head so he's either intentionally missing the easiest kill spot or has no intention of killing his targets at all." Naruto stated making them frown.
"So what does that make him?" Calvin asked.
"A smart, resourceful, paranoid, prepared, task oriented, Sociopath. One would think he's sadistic, but since he wants to get away quickly then he can't see the pain and anguish he's caused so he's shooting them in the gut for a reason and he's getting bolder and bolder every time he does this, evidenced by him adding another target each time he shoots." Naruto stated making Calvin nod, "It also unfortunately means there's no scaring this guy into hiding, he won't stop until he's either caught or killed." Naruto stated knowing they were going to have to hunker down for more shootings if they couldn't get a lead and fast.
Police Station: Later on
Naruto, Hotch, Reid, Morgan, and Detective Calvin were standing there talking with Naruto explaining that the unsub could have been a cop at some point to know police procedure but it was unlikely that he'd still be a cop since he'd insist on being a lead on the investigation and since she wasn't a shooter like that it meant that he was no longer a cop or at least not in her precinct.
While she didn't like the idea of it being a cop, she at least was content to know they weren't looking directly at her people.
They broke from their discussion as Naruto's phone rang, "Hello Garcia." Naruto stated seeing who it was.
"Isn't this spooky?" Garcia asked making Naruto raise an eyebrow.
"What?" Naruto asked making Garcia grin on the other end.
"That you were thinking of me and then out of the blue your phone rings, and it's me. How's that for a spiritual connection?" She asked making Naruto smirk and shake his head.
"If that were true then you'd be calling me more often and not Morgan, so now I'm gonna put you on speaker." Naruto stated making her smile a bit, "So what do you have?" Naruto asked hoping for anything.
"The bullet was a .223 and the rifling marks show it was fired from an M-4 variant of the M-16." Garcia stated making Naruto frown.
"Well that's not good since that gun is a lot harder to fire accurately and the barrel is shorter making it that much harder but the plus side is that it is more maneuverable. That means he has to have specialized training since you don't just go out and learn to shoot something like that easily especially at the distances that he's shooting at." Naruto stated making them frown since that meant he wasn't shooting the victims' torsos because he couldn't pull a headshot, he was doing it for a clear reason.
"I guess, but the bad news is I can't get a lock on the geographic profile without more data." Garcia stated sadly knowing it meant more shootings.
"Alright, excuse me a second." Naruto stated before turning speaker off and walked away, "Garcia, on the geographic profile, I want you to try plugging in the two major hospitals in the area. With what I know he's looking more like a Hero Homicide type of unsub and since I doubt he's a cop, that means he's probably a doctor, nurse, or someone that handles the E.R. and can have more excitement with more bullet wounds coming in." Naruto stated knowing that if he was right then they needed to get started on this now.
"Okay, I will do that and see if it gets me anything before hitting you back." She stated before hanging up as Naruto walked back to the others.
"What did she mean more data?" Calvin asked concerned.
"More shootings, and she's gonna get them since this guy clearly has something to prove to someone and he's got no intention of stopping." Naruto stated knowing they'd have to just hunker down and work to get ahead of this guy.
Café/Restaurant in the city: Later on
Naruto looked at the carnage of the area with a frown since he only took three targets again and didn't escalate further like he originally thought, "Three victims, not four." Naruto stated with a frown as he, Hotch, Elle, and JJ were there.
"Sometimes we're wrong." Gideon stated and Naruto shook his head.
"Yes, but I don't think I had the wrong idea, just the wrong conclusion. If he is a Hero Homicide unsub, then yes he has excitement with multiple targets, but he can only work on so many before a patient is taken away before he can work on them. It would get him contact with the victims, let him show off his superiority since he is saving everyone he injured and knowing exactly how to help them, and he can relive it over and over while the patients are admitted by checking in on them under the pretense of wanting to ensure they are doing well. He could even be taking pictures of them to remember the ones he saved and relive the experience." Naruto stated making Gideon frown since it all fit with the unsub.
"But what about the locations?" JJ asked since why keep crossing lines.
"Because he's not a permanent staff member at a hospital or at least he's a floater taking shifts wherever he can. So he shoots close to whichever hospital he's going to work at and then gets to be the hero and help save all of his victims showing his talent and skills. I already brought it up with Garcia to try and plug in the hospitals and one of them fit with two of the shootings and I'm willing to bet the other will fit with the other two." Naruto stated making Gideon frown since this helped them and it could keep the cops from being paranoid about them and each other.
"Alright, explain everything to the team when we get back to the station so we all are on the same page, then we'll present everything to the officers hopefully Garcia will give us confirmation before we do." Gideon stated and Naruto nodded as they headed back to the station.
Later
Naruto stood there helping the team explain things to the officers about this while making it clear that a current cop wasn't responsible for this and had to be a former officer, who was mostly kicked off the force for behavior unbecoming or lied about something on his background before being kicked off.
When one officer made a joke about him driving a white van, Naruto decided to stomp down on the joke, "No, because a white van would be too obvious to people. This guy is smarter than you officer in that he knows what cars draw attention and what people overlook. As such he won't be using a van, a sports car, or anything else that stands out and instead will have a simple car that is big enough for him to take his position in and still drive correctly." Naruto stated making the officer frown at the jab, "If you don't want to take this seriously then you can be the one who will inform the family members of the next person he possibly kills while the rest of us work to catch him." Naruto stated making the officers quiet down since no one wanted that job, "I get that a lot of this sounds like a load of crap that we are just spouting off, but I promise that it is true what we are saying and should be taking seriously. Some of the most prolific serial killers were caught because of some mistake that while seeming to be small and insignificant made all the difference. The longer we are here and the more police presence there is, the more he's gonna shoot which means more and more people are going to be hurt and eventually there are going to be more in the morgue than in the hospital." Naruto stated making all humor and skepticism depart.
"This is also a problem because eventually if he can't find civilians to shoot, then he's gonna start shooting cops and he won't care if you're in a car or not. The sooner we catch this guy the sooner everyone can breathe a little easier since this guy could snap and just go on a spree of shooting up everywhere in sight and won't care about getting brought down so long as he takes as many targets and threats down with him as possible." Naruto continued making them all nod.
"I… I apologize, I'm just not a fan of all this psychobabble." The officer, Scott McCarty, stated and Naruto shrugged.
"You'd be amazed how many people feel the same way, but it does work and does help with narrowing the suspect pool as well as anticipating what the unsub will do when cornered. It can be a key factor in saving lives since quite a few like to go down in a blaze of glory while others are happy to simply surrender." Naruto stated before they finished the briefing knowing they had to plan out their next move.
Franklin Park: Next Day
Naruto was stationed as a patroller at a different area of the park to see if there was a better vantage point to use that the unsub overlooked. As such, he had a rifle and sidearm handy while taking different stances and poses at varying heights should the unsub have made modifications to fire from his vehicle at different angles. He also was looking at areas to make quick getaways such as alleys, paths in the park big enough for a car, openings in the fence or anything that would let them get out of the park without going through normal channels.
In the primary side of the park was the rest of the team trying to get different possible visuals and escape routes while Officer McCarty was in a trunk of a car with his own rifle having the rifle sticking partially out or not at all to see if anyone could notice or see anything. Normally the man would have complained, but he accepted it upon getting assigned it for mouthing off and not taking the briefing seriously.
However, a wrinkle came in the form of a reporter announcing how the sniper was a former cop and stirring up an even bigger hornets' nest.
As Naruto was making his way back, he was observing the higher ground parking when he caught a glimmer of sunlight from a car overlooking the area and knew what it was, "GET DOWN." Naruto shouted before firing at the vehicle just as a bullet came and hit Detective Calvin in the arm, which was due to her turning as Naruto shouted. As Naruto fired, and a bullet impacted near him in the ground from the unsub trying to return fire, the others all took cover and fired at the vehicle with the officers firing as well before it tore out of there like a bat out of hell. Naruto quickly ran along through the park taking a quick shot at it when he got sights on it before he had to stop as the car got to the road and drove off, "Damn it." He stated as he almost had it before going to regroup with the others.
Naruto walked back to the others as a cop with some first aid training was bandaging Calvin's arm till the EMTs got there, "You alright?" Naruto asked and she smiled and nodded.
"Thanks to you, if you hadn't shouted that bullet could have torn right through my body. Fortunately, bullet went clean through but missed the bone and my body. I got really lucky there." Calvin stated as the others came over including the captain.
"What the hell just happened?" Captain Weigart demanded as he came over.
"We told you he was getting bolder and wanting targets, and we essentially set up a killing field with cops and Federal Agents all ripe for that taking for him. If I hadn't been looking for vantage points and secondary locations to shoot from, I wouldn't have seen the sun reflect off his rifle barrel and Detective Calvin and who knows how many others could be seriously injured or dead. Like Detective Calvin just stated, we got lucky. If I hadn't been walking back, if he had kept the gun back just a little bit more, if he had fired just a little faster, there's any number of things that could've happened." Naruto stated making Weigart sigh since this just got a lot more difficult.
It was then that Morgan's phone rang, "Yeah baby?" Morgan asked before Garcia then replied over the phone, "Alright thanks." Morgan stated before hanging up, "Naruto was right, the geographic profile is centered on the two hospitals." Morgan stated making everyone nod.
"Hotch, you, Reid, and Naruto head over and check out Doctor Landman." Gideon stated before Naruto shook his head.
"No, can't be him. He can only work on one patient at a time and the others would get a different surgeon. It has to be someone in the E.R. since they'd be bouncing from patients working to stabilize them and keep them alive till they could have surgeries. Plus Police and E.R. personnel are on the exact same 24-hour shift schedules, which means he probably works the second shift in the Emergency Room." Naruto stated making Gideon and the others nod.
"Alright, you three still go to Northeast General* and check it while we go to Arlington. Captain, we're going to need discreet perimeters around those two locations, by no means do we want to spook this guy." Gideon stated as Naruto gave his rifle to one of the cops and got in the car to the hospital.
Northeast General
Naruto, Reid, and Hotch were in the E.R. trying to find a head nurse and were discussing with any knowledgeable nurse about the unsub, "He would have come from Arlington within the last 2 weeks." Naruto explained to one nurse, who the others seemed to be answering to.
"We haven't hired or transferred anyone here in the last two months." The nurse stated making Naruto frown.
"Alright, just let me describe him and you can tell me if he sound familiar ok?" Naruto asked and she nodded, "He's in his 30s. He's vain, rude, arrogant, he works out a lot. He shows up to work late, blames others for anything he does wrong, he will not take responsibility for his behavior. Everyone who works with him detests him." Naruto stated while the woman slowly had realization and horror come to her face.
"Oh, my god. It's Phillip Dowd. He picks up shifts at Arlington, usually that's the only time we get any peace from him." She stated getting increasingly worried.
"Stay calm, your patients need you focused." He stated letting her take a breath, "Now, is he here today?" He asked making her nod, "Do you see him here?" He asked again and she looked before shaking her head, "It's alright, we're going to get some help and keep you and the others safe." Naruto stated making her nod before he sent her back to her patients and quickly took his phone out before sending a text to the team, "Phillip Dowd: He's here!" The text read making Gideon and the others quickly move to get to the hospital while Hotch sent Reid to notify the cops.
However, such a thing wasn't going to work as Dowd came and hit Reid with the butt of the rifle before disarming the security guard that came to check on the noise. Dowd then fired on the fuse box sounding the alarm and killing the primary lights as he pointed the gun right at Hotch and Naruto, both of whom had their guns drawn right at him, "Better be a headshot. Otherwise, I go down squeezing the trigger with this on full auto." Dowd stated while recognizing Naruto as the guy who shot at him in the park and had to hold back the impulse to empty his entire clip into the blonde's body.
Hotch and Naruto both frowned before putting their guns down on the counter though Naruto had something handy just in case for situations like this.
Dowd moved up and took the guns before yelling at Reid to come over before Hotch placed Reid's gun on the counter as well before the security guard flex cuffed their hands together with Naruto's being behind his back and Naruto sat on his knees with his back to Reid and Hotch before pulling a knife from behind his coat that was attached by a backstrap and started cutting his way free. Reid and Hotch noted it was a 7 inch bowie knife and the former wondered when he had gotten that.
Naruto listened to Dowd as he spouted his cocky bullshit and Reid tried to explain things, "Shut up Reid." Naruto stated making Reid be quiet.
"No, don't shut up, by all means tell me." Dowd insisted and Naruto smirked.
"Go ahead genius, tell him, but keep in mind if you get it wrong he's gonna splatter your brains on the counter." Naruto stated while sounding like he was condescending Reid and hoping for said result.
"Okay Boss-Man, what do you know?" Dowd asked while looking at Naruto intently.
"I know you shot 10 people in broad daylight and left us nothing, you nearly got a cop cleanly in the torso in front of the FBI and despite us trying otherwise, you still got away. I also know your plan is to go down in a hail of bullets rather than be locked in a cage." Naruto stated in an even tone showing annoyance for the situation but nothing else.
"Oh really? Well what else do you know huh?" Dowd asked not being able to pass up someone declaring how better he was than others.
"I know you're the smartest guy of every room you've ever been in and everyone's known it, but won't admit it. People feel threatened by you and try to sabotage you ever chance they get. You're not a bad person, you helped save all your victims after shooting them, except the first guy and he wasn't even your fault! If the EMTs had gotten off their lazy asses and been there on time then he would have lived! That's on their heads not yours since you gave them too much credit in dealing with their incompetency." Naruto stated with the demon coming out to play.
"It took those morons 13 minutes. 13! If every EMT moved like them then the E.R. would be out of business while the morgue would be booming." Dowd stated angry that someone dared to screw up his master plan.
"You're gonna want to barricade the door. Only a matter of time before the idiot cops who kicked you off the force come in here wanting to kill you. They knew you were in here and just wanted an excuse to execute you so why not?" Naruto stated making Dowd sneer as he put the gun to Naruto's face.
"What's this? Some kind of trick." Dowd demanded before thinking, "But a barricade is a good idea though, now why would you want to help me?" Dowd asked curious before something clicked, "You said, they knew I was in here." Dowd stated and Naruto looked impassive, "But your two buddies don't seem to get it, why don't you tell him? But if you lie or leave anything out..." Dowd stated before imitating a shooting action at Naruto's head.
"Of course they knew you were in here, that's why they sent me in here knowing you were armed and ready to go down fighting since I'm disposable to the Bureau since I'm not technically an agent and as my backup they sent me in with a bookworm who can barely hold his gun straight and a would be politician that wants to have a cushy desk job over doing real work so why no remove him from his rivals' way now right? They sent me in here knowing I was probably going to become cannon fodder so I figure why make it easy for them?" Naruto stated making Dowd smirk.
"They set you up." Dowd stated with that superior smirk on his face.
"Exactly, and they are probably laughing about it glad to lose three different people they view as threats to their status and intellects." Naruto stated and Dowd nodded.
"And that's why you want to help me." Dowd stated and Naruto snorted.
"I wouldn't say I want to help you, I just want it to be harder on those condescending assholes who wouldn't know talent if it came up and punched them in the face. You're going to take as many of them down with you as possible so why not make it so they really have to fight to get anywhere close to having a clear shot." Naruto stated and Dowd gave him a look that just said "fair enough" before having two nurses start blocking the door with monitors and beds.
"You wanna know why I'm with boy genius and Mr. politics?" Naruto asked and Dowd couldn't help himself when curious.
"Why?" Dowd asked figuring the blonde had to have problems to be able to understand him in some manner.
"Because no one wanted to give the pain in the ass kid a gun and I was voluntold by politics here to teach the kid personally how to shoot and even after I train him for 6 fucking hours, the brat still only barely passes by a less than 1% margin. Politics here wanted to prove his choice of agents was good so he had me teach him to show the higher ups what good choices he can make so he can get closer to promotion, only some of the higher ups were the ones who didn't want the kid having a gun so they were angry. So as punishment I get saddled with the guy who essentially made me do it and the kid who won't shut up with the questions on how he can be better and blah blah blah even asking if I'm sure about something when I answered. What's worse is I'm going to have to do it again in six months because I get saddled with continuing to teach the kid till he can beat the exam with an above 50% margin and before that he couldn't even get close to getting certified normally without his mentor pulling strings which makes my life harder." Naruto stated and Dowd smirked not knowing Naruto was getting closer to cutting free.
"You think you got it rough? These people do nothing but undermine me and make me look incompetent and it's only gotten worse since I got here." Dowd stated angrily and Naruto smirked.
"Put them all next to the barricade. That way, when they blast in here guns blazing, it solves both our problems. The people who undermined you get taken out and the assholes who sent me in here get their careers ruined." Naruto stated making Dowd smirk.
"You are one sick dude." Dowd stated and Naruto chuckled.
"How do you think I was able to find you?" Naruto stated making Dowd laugh in amusement before moving the people to the barricades.
"Can I ask you something?" Naruto stated with a smirk as he got one hand free and was now standing and leaning against the counter.
"What's that?" Dowd asked with a smirk.
"You ever wonder what it would be like to finally get the respect? Would we actually enjoy it or just think they were mocking us and want to kill them?" Naruto asked and Dowd smirked.
"Don't know, most of the time I just think about blowing their brains out." Dowd stated and Naruto smirked.
"Me? I'd probably disembowel them so they can slowly watch as their insides fall out before dying." Naruto stated with Dowd smirking further.
"Are you sure you're the good guy?" Dowd stated making Naruto chuckle.
"No, no I'm not." Naruto stated before he moved and grabbed Dowd's head before he stabbed Dowd in the throat with the knife with it puncturing out the back side, "But I'm fast." Naruto stated while looking right into Dowd's eyes as he gurgled and choked on his own blood. Dowd wasn't able to do anything as the gun was pinned between their two bodies. Naruto then twisted the blade making Dowd gurgle more before Naruto quickly tore the blade out and then stabbed up into his brain through his chin before twisting for good measure and then tearing it out.
Naruto then pushed his body aside and walked to the door, "All clear, hold your fire." Naruto shouted as he opened the door and let the cops in.
Quantico, Virginia: Later on
Reid was sitting at his desk finishing up his portion of the reports when Gideon came over as Naruto was being taken away, "You alright?" Gideon asked and Reid nodded.
"Yeah, a bit of a bruise for couple of days but nothing major. Though I do understand what Naruto meant by not needing a gun to kill someone." Reid stated making Gideon nod as he sat by him.
"No, you don't one. If you have a clear cut read on someone, then you can empathize and bring the person down without ever using a weapon to do it." Gideon stated making Reid nod before he smirked.
"But they do help." Reid stated making Gideon snort in amusement.
"Yes, they do." Gideon stated before patting his shoulder and went up to Hotch's office where he was on a conference call with Strauss and Director Fickler explaining why Dowd was killed by Naruto of all people. Fickler didn't mind that much since it wasn't like Naruto went to his house and shot him in the head before leaving, but Strauss was being extra scrutinizing since she was still against a serial killer being used as a resource.
"Ma'am, you have understand that Naruto, Agent Reid, and I were all incapacitated with Dowd holding a rifle to us. Had Naruto not had the knife, which he was approved of having a week ago, then the only other option would have been for Reid or myself to somehow get my or Naruto's spare sidearm without Dowd noticing. The latter method being extremely unlikely as he was watching us the whole time and wouldn't have hesitated to shoot us and everyone in the room if he felt he could before shooting however many cops he could before he was finally killed." Hotch stated since it was the truth.
"I understand that agent, what I want to know is why you were put into such a position to begin with?" Strauss stated testily.
"Because Dowd had a human shield and neither Naruto or I had the confidence we could get a headshot without harming the captive so we were forced to relinquish our guns or risk him going down shooting taking us and who knows how many hostages with us." Hotch defended knowing he had the better shot and Naruto wouldn't have hesitated to blow Dowd's brains out if he had the shot.
Before Strauss could retort, Director Fickler cut in, "That's enough. Agents Reid and Hotchner's actions are excusable and Naruto Namikaze's are justified. He killed an imminent threat while saving multiple lives in the process, this matter is closed." Fickler stated with finality in his tone.
"Yes sir." Hotch and Strauss both stated knowing the matter was indeed closed.
"Then this discussion is over, continue to fill me in with progress reports on Namikaze's progress and methods." Fickler stated before his end of the line clicked indicating he hung up and Strauss was quick to do so afterwards before Hotch then hung up.
"Well, that went well." Gideon stated making Hotch smirk.
"For now, Strauss is pushing for any excuse she can find to remove Naruto from the field and it's causing some conflict with her and the Director." Hotch stated making Gideon frown.
"We'll just have to ensure we don't give her any good reasons to try and justify that action." Gideon stated as Hotch nodded before Gideon went to his office to finish the work he had.
Deep down though, they both knew that it was only a matter of time before something went wrong and Strauss would be on the warpath. They just had to be sure they were ready when she did.
DONE! Hope you all enjoyed it and had a great Thanksgiving. Next time is The Fox.
*They never tell you the name of the hospital that Landman works at so I just gave it a generic name.
Nothing else to say so I'll see y'all next time.